We’re often asked on 99designs, SitePoint, and Flippa.com: “Can you help me run a contest to name my thingy?” Well, now we can!

[We’ve created a new section in our Marketplace (shortcut: [URL="http://namemythingy.com"]namemythingy.com](http://marketplace.sitepoint.com/categories/name-my-thingy)) to help you find your new shiny thingy a name… whether it’s for your new business, your web site, or even your new pet. After all, everything needs a name — right? Running your naming contest is easy. Simply create a new listing, nominate a prize for the best entry (minimum $50), and watch the ideas roll in.

Best of all — for a limited time, it’s FREE to post your contest!

If you’re a creative type and want to earn some extra cash, why not head over and suggest some names of your own. Who knows, you could win the cash!

RyanReese
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2009-12-18T18:03:31Z —
#2

This is a win win situation! This is perfect! Thanks Raena!

tke71709
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2009-12-18T19:18:25Z —
#3

Considered creating a similar service myself a year ago but rejected it as unworkable in the real world.

There's no way to ensure that someone pays the person for their suggestion, it's not like a template or script where something tangible has to change hands.

It becomes a hey thanks for the free suggestions forum instead, especially with a $50 minimum payment plus SP's take.

Mark_Harbottle
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2009-12-18T22:10:49Z —
#4

6 projects on day 1 for http://namemythingy.com representing $510 in prizes for anyone who can help them name their things. Good start!

Alex
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2009-12-18T23:52:28Z —
#5

Awesome! I absolutely love it, I've needed something like this many times in the past. This was a wonderful addition to the Marketplace.

I just submitted my first idea for a name. I hope I win!

Alex

felgall
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2009-12-19T01:58:22Z —
#6

What process is in place to ensure that the winning suggestion actually gets paid the prize?

Mark_Harbottle
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2009-12-19T02:04:02Z —
#7

Stephen, we don't have a process for that yet. This is our prototype. If the service proves to be a hit, we'll implement payments like we have at 99designs.com, where we take care of collecting and holding the prize money while the contest runs, and then pay it out to the winner at the end. One step at a time. It all depends if the community get behind it.

felgall
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2009-12-19T02:38:39Z —
#8

Mark_Harbottle said:

Stephen, we don't have a process for that yet. This is our prototype. If the service proves to be a hit, we'll implement payments like we have at 99designs.com, where we take care of collecting and holding the prize money while the contest runs, and then pay it out to the winner at the end. One step at a time. It all depends if the community get behind it.

That sounds like it should work well once it is implemented that way. Let's hope that the trial isn't ruined before that by people refusing to pay the winners.

samanime
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2009-12-19T03:49:11Z —
#9

Technically, if there is documentation that someone came up with a name, doesn't that automatically constitute a copyright (at least in most countries)?

Not sure.

This is a great idea though.

felgall
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2009-12-19T04:06:31Z —
#10

samanime said:

Technically, if there is documentation that someone came up with a name, doesn't that automatically constitute a copyright (at least in most countries)?

No it doesn't - that would be something you'd need to take out a trademark on - just one or two words isn't enough to be able to copyright it.

Alex
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2009-12-19T04:38:07Z —
#11

felgall said:

What process is in place to ensure that the winning suggestion actually gets paid the prize?

This was also the only concern I had for it.

Mark_Harbottle said:

Stephen, we don't have a process for that yet. This is our prototype. If the service proves to be a hit, we'll implement payments like we have at 99designs.com, where we take care of collecting and holding the prize money while the contest runs, and then pay it out to the winner at the end. One step at a time. It all depends if the community get behind it.

I hope they do - I'm going to be out of town soon but would like to see that this has taken off well when I return.

felgall said:

That sounds like it should work well once it is implemented that way. Let's hope that the trial isn't ruined before that by people refusing to pay the winners.

Ditto.

kooshin_com
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2009-12-19T16:10:14Z —
#12

souds to be a good idea.is it already getting alot of traffic? Cause it is not loading at all.

rageh
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2009-12-19T17:06:35Z —
#13

I fail to be impressed by this service, not least the rather high prize for the suggestions. It may encourage people seeking ideas to pay up if the prizes to be won were in the region of $10 to $20 instead of minimum $50 upwards.

Who would pay a minimum of $50 for a mere name? Plus whatever service fee Sitepoint decides to charge?

It would be a worthy cause if there were no prizes to be won. Members would happily make suggestions for fun. One hardly sweats over suggesting a name anyway.

Datura
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2009-12-19T17:33:27Z —
#14

rageh said:

Who would pay a minimum of $50 for a mere name? Plus whatever service fee Sitepoint decides to charge?

That is a false assumption. A name can be worth millions once it is branded and accepted by the public.

A catchy name can make all the difference in promoting a business.

I like this idea a lot and might actually participate once the setup is secured.

felgall
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2009-12-19T20:53:48Z —
#15

I had a go at trying to think up names for a couple of the ones already listed. After about half an hour's thought I still hadn't come up with anything worth suggesting.

If the offered payments were lower I don't think anyone would put any significant thought into trying to come up with a usable response - all you'd get would be the same junk you'd already thought of yourself and already rejected.

Datura
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2009-12-19T21:46:31Z —
#16

felgall said:

If the offered payments were lower I don't think anyone would put any significant thought into trying to come up with a usable response - all you'd get would be the same junk you'd already thought of yourself and already rejected.

Indeed It is easy to come up with Harry, Frank and Mike, but hard to find Nike, Coke and Shell.

I'd want to see the entries after the poster chooses one, just for the lawlz.

CreedFeed
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2009-12-21T15:03:54Z —
#18

What's to say a person will pay even if SitePoint would collect the prize money before showing the listing? I can see two distinct scenarios:

You start up a listing and legitimately do not like the responses received. Surely you would not pay out prize money for suggestions which you will not be using at all.

-however-

You can then simply say you do not like any suggestions, do not have to pay out your prize money, and then take away a name you liked for free (or the small listing fee).

This service really cannot be administered as far as I can see.

Matt_Mickiewicz
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2009-12-21T21:36:33Z —
#19

rageh said:

I fail to be impressed by this service, not least the rather high prize for the suggestions. It may encourage people seeking ideas to pay up if the prizes to be won were in the region of $10 to $20 instead of minimum $50 upwards.

Who would pay a minimum of $50 for a mere name? Plus whatever service fee Sitepoint decides to charge?

It would be a worthy cause if there were no prizes to be won. Members would happily make suggestions for fun. One hardly sweats over suggesting a name anyway.

If you don't sweat over a name, you're potentially making a business destroying decision... there's a reason why naming agencies like Tungsten & A Hundred Monkeys charge 6-figures and up for naming companies.

Likewise, the domain name space is competitive. Almost any serious start-up will have to acquire their domain name from a domain name owner, and prices are all over the map from a few thousand to millions of dollars for a generic word... it helps to have options, since they can save you huge amounts of money.

tke71709
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2009-12-21T23:07:36Z —
#20

rageh said:

Who would pay a minimum of $50 for a mere name? Plus whatever service fee Sitepoint decides to charge?

If you're not willing to consider spending $50 for a good name then you're not serious about the business anyway.

We don't all consider adding "point" to a word to be a great branding strategy no matter how successful DigitalPoint and SitePoint are.